


It isn't a matter of trust

by LadyRedCrest (your_icequeen)



Category: NCIS
Genre: Gen, Hostage Situations, Parent!Palmer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-06
Updated: 2013-11-06
Packaged: 2017-12-31 15:55:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1033548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/your_icequeen/pseuds/LadyRedCrest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>From the Prompt: Gen - Palmer, he never told his team that he has a little girl but when the team investigates a hostage situation at a navy school, they find out and feel hurt that Palmer didn't tell them. (the little girl's mother was in the Navy)</p>
            </blockquote>





	It isn't a matter of trust

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sexycazzy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sexycazzy/gifts).



> Beta by Stupid_Drawings over on LJ.

The third time Jimmy Palmer’s phone chimed during the autopsy, Ducky had had enough. 

“Mister Palmer, if you could please check your messages and then turn that bloody thing off.”

“Sorry Dr. Mallard.” Jimmy walked over to his coat and pulled the offending device out of his pocket. Scrolling through the messages, he suddenly paled. “Excuse me Doctor.” 

Ducky watched as Jimmy ran out of the doors and to the stairs, skipping the elevator completely.

***

The bullpen had been mostly quiet that morning, the team working on cold cases. But all that was shattered when everyone’s favorite Assistant Medical Examiner burst through the door of the stairs. 

“Agent Gibbs!” He practically yelled, stopping in front of the team lead’s desk. He frantically picked up the remote and turned on the television to ZNN. There, news about a hostage situation at a school on the navy base at Patuxent River was just breaking.

Everyone gathered around the TV. 

“Why haven’t we heard of this yet?” Gibbs’s voice broke through the spell the news story seemed to have put everyone in. “McGee, get me all the information on this you can. DiNozzo, get a car from the pool.”

“I am going with you.” Jimmy said sternly.

“Sorry, Autopsy Gremlin, now is not the time to grow a pair.” Tony cut in before Gibbs could respond as he grabbed his pack and headed to the elevator.

“Got what little info there is, Boss. An armed assailant entered the school approximately 30 minutes ago while the kids were in assembly. One teacher is believed to have been shot and no contact has been made yet. The Local LEOs are assisting the MPs to set up a perimeter. And with traffic like it is, we can be there in an hour and a half, less if you drive.”

“A-Agent Gibbs, I have to go with you. I know someone inside. They could help, I could help. Please, I have to go.”

“Then follow DiNozzo, Jimmy. C’mon McGee.” 

***

“Palmer, you said you had someone in the school. Spill.” Gibbs said, seeing the young man check his phone yet again.

“Well, ummm, I used to be engaged to this wonderful woman named Donna. She was in the Navy. However, things just didn’t work out. Soon after we broke up, she called me. She was pregnant with a little girl. Kami was born and I joined NCIS. There isn’t much to tell-“ He broke off as his phone chimed again. “The teacher that was shot appears to be doing okay. She’s still talking.”

McGee pipes up from the back seat, “Is that who you are texting, the teacher?”

“No, McOblivious, he is texting Kami, his daughter. Isn’t that right Jimmy?” Tony answered for him, hurt evident in his voice.

“Yeah, Tony. Anyway, she is in the 6th grade and not supposed to have her cell phone on her but I told her to carry it with her always.”

***

McGee was right. They arrived at the perimeter of the school in just over an hour. The LEOs had done a good job of keeping the cluster of distraught parents to a parking lot across the street. And the phone call Gibbs had made in the car to the Director must have helped because negotiations were turned over to him almost immediately.

“Palmer, can you get me a photo of the assailant, without Kami getting noticed?” Gibbs asked as they made their way to the communications van.

“I can try.” He replied, typing into his phone. 

Gibbs turned to one of the techs in the van. “What communication has been made? And have you been able to find anything else out about him?”

“His name is Grant Smith, military husband. His wife was recently killed in Afghanistan. We managed to get in touch with him via the principal’s cell phone. He verified the teacher that was shot has lost blood but is still conscious, and has made no demands.”

“Get him on the line. DiNozzo, get suited up. I am sending you to get the injured teacher.”

Jimmy’s phone chimed. He handed it to Gibbs so that he could see the picture. From what they could tell, Grant Smith had all the students against one wall and the teachers were still on stage. He stood between them with what Gibbs could make out to be an assault rifle. 

“Agent Gibbs, he is on the line.” The tech called. 

“Smith. This is Agent Gibbs with NCIS. You have a lot of people in there. A lot of scared children. How about you let them out? You come out and we can talk about this... What about just letting out the injured teacher? We would like to get her some medical attention... Thank you, I will send in one unarmed agent to collect her. He is coming in now.” Gibbs motioned for Tony to go. While his back was turned Jimmy snatched up the phone. 

“Mr. Smith, my name is Jimmy.” His voice cracked a little as he held back the tears. “I don’t know what you’re going through or what brought you to do this, but my daughter is in there. She is just a scared 11 year old girl. All she did today was go into school and now she is scared for her life and the lives of her friends. School should be a place of knowledge and safety. Do you have any children, Mr. Smith? She is my only daughter, she has red hair, looks just like her mom, makes straight A’s, and wants to be a dancer when she grows up. And there are a hundred other children just like her in there. They are scared, too. Please let them out. Please.”

The click of Grant hanging up was almost audible through the whole van but the next thing people saw was Tony leading not only the injured teacher out of the building but the rest of the people as well. The shot from inside the building was almost deafened out by the relieved cries that could be heard from across the street where the parents still stood. Medical officials began gathering up students and teachers alike to check everyone over.

Jimmy ran to his little girl the moment he spotted her in the crowd and scooped her up in his arms. She was almost too big for this but it was obvious he didn’t care. The team let him have his time while they began taking witness statements and processing the scene where Grant had shot himself inside the school auditorium. 

***

The following Monday found everyone back at work. Jimmy had taken the weekend to be with his daughter and the paperwork on the case was finally settled. Tim and Tony were working through some cold case files, while Gibbs was in the weekly budget meeting.

Jimmy arrived with the familiar ding of the elevator. 

“Hey everyone. I just wanted to say thank you for what you guys did last week.” He said a little hesitantly.

“Just the same we would do for anyone, Palmer.” Tony replied, flipping through the file on his desk.

Tim looked at Jimmy across the aisle. “Yeah, though anyone else would have told us they had a daughter. Maybe not at first, but at some point in ten years it may have been worth dropping in conversation.”

“Yeah, about that... Guys, it’s not what it looks like.”

Tony finally closed the file on his desk and made eye contact. “Not what it looks like? It’s not that in the time we all have known each other we haven’t shared trials, tribulations, and celebrations with each other. It’s not like we are a family or anything. Or that when Gibbs was on siesta, I didn’t tell you absolutely everything about what was going on. Please, explain it to us.”

“Well, you see, she lives with Donna. I only really get to see her the occasional weekend. I knew all of you had lives of your own and... honestly, I just didn’t want to bring her into this. I didn’t want her to be used against me in some way by a bad guy. But last week showed me that I can’t protect her by hiding her away from everyone. And that is why I would like you all to come over this Saturday, since you’re off rotation and meet her. Gibbs is letting me have a BBQ at his place. He has even agreed to cook.”

“BBQ at Gibbs’s place? All right Jimmy. We’ll come. Won’t we McGee?”

“Yeah, we’ll be there. But Jimmy, we’re family around here. Remember that.”

“I pretty much told him the same thing when he didn’t tell us he had a sister.” Tony replied going back to his case file.


End file.
